Oğuzhan Özyakup's Ottoman Odyssey

[1989]

Good luck to the kid. Nordtveit has carved out a decent career for himself at Borussia M'Gladbach, and Barazite was named player of the year in Austria before securing a move to Monaco recently. I hope Ozyakup follows their path.

[Herd]

I think it is very much a feature of our youth policy that we have many promising players in the 16 - 20 age group who do not push on to first team level with us but end up in the Championship or less strong overseas leagues.

I was thinking about this earlier and I guess that whilst the small transfer fees we receive for these players would possibly only cover half of all scouting, training, billeting and travel expenses for the youth players, the system pays for itself in the sense that when a Wilshere is developed it potentially saves millions in transfer fees, and of course can bring in millions if we sell him on.

Are you saying that we make superstars not buy them ?

[QuartzGooner]

I think it is very much a feature of our youth policy that we have many promising players in the 16 - 20 age group who do not push on to first team level with us but end up in the Championship or less strong overseas leagues.

I was thinking about this earlier and I guess that whilst the small transfer fees we receive for these players would possibly only cover half of all scouting, training, billeting and travel expenses for the youth players, the system pays for itself in the sense that when a Wilshere is developed it potentially saves millions in transfer fees, and of course can bring in millions if we sell him on.

Are you saying that we make superstars not buy them ?

No.

That would be a PR exercise.

I meant that when we develop a "superstar" it probably financially justifies our youth development policy that takes in players from ages 8/9 and upwards.

These "superstar" players have been few and far between under Wenger and Brady (Cole, Wilshere).

Much of the visible success as regards our youth policy producing regular first team players has been to buy promising domestic or foreign players ages 15 - 19 and push them on a level (Song, Fabregas, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain) rather than the success of players who have been with us since an early age.

But as I say above, and as 1989 affirms, there are many more of domestic and foreign origin, whether they have been with us from an early age or bought as teenagers, who still manage to make a career for themselves in football, just not quite at the level of Arsenal (Volz, J. Hoyte, Traore, Nordveit, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Senderos etc.)

[flash gunner]

Yet another 'superstar player of the future' leaves to ply his trade at a lower level

[DB10GOONER]

I think it is very much a feature of our youth policy that we have many promising players in the 16 - 20 age group who do not push on to first team level with us but end up in the Championship or less strong overseas leagues.

I was thinking about this earlier and I guess that whilst the small transfer fees we receive for these players would possibly only cover half of all scouting, training, billeting and travel expenses for the youth players, the system pays for itself in the sense that when a Wilshere is developed it potentially saves millions in transfer fees, and of course can bring in millions if we sell him on.

Are you saying that we make superstars not buy them ?

No.

That would be a PR exercise.

I meant that when we develop a "superstar" it probably financially justifies our youth development policy that takes in players from ages 8/9 and upwards.

These "superstar" players have been few and far between under Wenger and Brady (Cole, Wilshere).

Much of the visible success as regards our youth policy producing regular first team players has been to buy promising domestic or foreign players ages 15 - 19 and push them on a level (Song, Fabregas, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain) rather than the success of players who have been with us since an early age.

But as I say above, and as 1989 affirms, there are many more of domestic and foreign origin, whether they have been with us from an early age or bought as teenagers, who still manage to make a career for themselves in football, just not quite at the level of Arsenal (Volz, J. Hoyte, Traore, Nordveit, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Senderos etc.)

I wouldn't include Wilshere in that. Yet. He has achieved the sum total of absolutely nothing in the game. Sure, he has been quality during some games and there is deffo talent there. But through bad luck with injuries he hasn’t been able to take the step to the next level. Yet, anyway. And if the Arsenal Injury Curse gets him, he may never...

It’s a sad indictment of our supposed “world class” youth policy that the only TRULY world class player that came out of it in the last decade or so was a dirty grubby little Judas who has gone onto bigger and better things with the no-mark, no-history, Russian Gangster pimp’s plaything, Chav$ki.

Sure, we have “produced” a few players that have gone on to have “reasonable” careers in the game but that isn’t the point for me. The point is that our youth set up is talked up by both the club and the media as if we were producing a Cashley A-Hole quality player every year. We certainly aren’t.

[LDB]

I wouldn't include Wilshere in that. Yet. He has achieved the sum total of absolutely nothing in the game. Sure, he has been quality during some games and there is deffo talent there. But through bad luck with injuries he hasn’t been able to take the step to the next level. Yet, anyway. And if the Arsenal Injury Curse gets him, he may never...

In his first premier league season Wilshere found a level of consistent performance that most of the *word censored* who have been in our first team for about 4 years now can only dream of. It only started dropping off in the last few games when his body was clearly breaking down and le professeur did fuck all about it. Its not often I like to hype a young player but Jack clearly has 'it', just a case now of whether he can return from the injury run largely brought about by the manager of the decade.

[DB10GOONER]

I wouldn't include Wilshere in that. Yet. He has achieved the sum total of absolutely nothing in the game. Sure, he has been quality during some games and there is deffo talent there. But through bad luck with injuries he hasn’t been able to take the step to the next level. Yet, anyway. And if the Arsenal Injury Curse gets him, he may never...

In his first premier league season Wilshere found a level of consistent performance that most of the *word censored* who have been in our first team for about 4 years now can only dream of. It only started dropping off in the last few games when his body was clearly breaking down and le professeur did fuck all about it. Its not often I like to hype a young player but Jack clearly has 'it', just a case now of whether he can return from the injury run largely brought about by the manager of the decade.

Oh, I agree Jack has "it". With some players you can just tell thay are a cut above the players around them. But to this point in time I think it's incorrect to name him as a successful product of the Arsenal youth programme. If (hopefully when) he has played 4 or 5 seasons at the top level, and been successful as a regular major contributor to the team, then I think we can point to him as a successful product of the much mooted youth set up. But for me, not until then.

[I Hate Hleb]

I think it is very much a feature of our youth policy that we have many promising players in the 16 - 20 age group who do not push on to first team level with us but end up in the Championship or less strong overseas leagues.

I was thinking about this earlier and I guess that whilst the small transfer fees we receive for these players would possibly only cover half of all scouting, training, billeting and travel expenses for the youth players, the system pays for itself in the sense that when a Wilshere is developed it potentially saves millions in transfer fees, and of course can bring in millions if we sell him on.

Are you saying that we make superstars not buy them ?

Brilliant - although I think from Quartz serious response,it may have gone over his head!!

(Erm.....or am I the only one that got this, due to being 'high'? )

[QuartzGooner]

I think it is very much a feature of our youth policy that we have many promising players in the 16 - 20 age group who do not push on to first team level with us but end up in the Championship or less strong overseas leagues.

I was thinking about this earlier and I guess that whilst the small transfer fees we receive for these players would possibly only cover half of all scouting, training, billeting and travel expenses for the youth players, the system pays for itself in the sense that when a Wilshere is developed it potentially saves millions in transfer fees, and of course can bring in millions if we sell him on.

Are you saying that we make superstars not buy them ?

Brilliant - although I think from Quartz serious response,it may have gone over his head!!

(Erm.....or am I the only one that got this, due to being 'high'? )

To defend my intelligence on this point, you will notice my response begins with "No, that would be a PR exercise" so I did get Herd's subtle reference to Gazidis's statement.

But things do usually go over my head!

[I Hate Hleb]

Another short-arse, eh?

[SammyDroppedHisShorts]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18356839

Kid joins Stoke...grrrrrr